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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 2023).

The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength".

'606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'"

The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs.

Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!

Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"

Postage

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

June

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 04: Jam No. 18 @ Fabio's Bar, Saddler Street, Durham. 8:00pm. Free. All welcome. A Durham University Jazz Society event.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Celebrating Charlie Parker

Events worldwide marking the centenary of the birth of Charlie Parker (August 29, 1920) have been scaled back to due to the ongoing pandemic. Concerts with socially distanced audiences, behind-closed-doors live streams and radio and television programmes will commemorate the occasion. One way or another it shouldn't be too difficult to catch something over the next few days.

Thursday (Aug 27) at Ronnie Scott's could prove to be a highlight among highlights. The latest in the Frith Street, Soho club's Return Sessions features Gilad Atzmon with a string quartet live streaming from 7:00pm. When it comes to playing the music of Charlie Parker, alto saxophonist Atzmon is arguably as good as anyone on the planet. Joining Atzmon will be the ace rhythm section of Ross Stanley, piano, Dave Whitfield, bass, Chris Higginbottom, drums and the Sigamos String Quartet (Ros Stephen, violin, Marianne Haynes, violin, Felix Tanner, viola and Laura Anstee, cello). 


On Saturday (one hundred years to the day of Parker's birth) Mark Toomey will be live streaming at two o'clock from St Peter's Church, Stockton. Toomey readily concedes that live stream technology is new to him so, check out the alto saxophonist's Facebook page (and possibly YouTube). The alto saxophonist's regular quartet - Jeremy McMurray, piano, Peter Ayton, bass and drummer Paul Smith - will be alongside him on what promises to be a grand occasion.  

If you happen to be in Kansas City on Saturday (you neve know!) the American Jazz Museum will be presenting a marathon twelve hours of performances dedicated to Bird. The action begins at 7:00am (!) when the first of many bands takes to the stage, culminating at 5:30pm with the great Bobby Watson. You'll be there? Write a review! 

BBC Radio 3's J to Z (Saturday, 5:00pm), presented by Julian Joseph, is dedicated to Bird and his legacy. Guests include Sheila Jordan, Django Bates, Nathaniel Facey and Alan Barnes. When it comes to Charlie Parker this lot know what they're talking about!

And to Sunday. At St James' and St Basil's Church, Fenham, Newcastle (3:00pm) pianist Dean Stockdale, in the company of Mick Shoulder, bass and drummer Russ Morgan will be playing a few numbers associated with Charlie Parker together with some original material. The concert in the church grounds is weather dependent. The forecast is reasonably favourable (13° 'with a low chance of precipitation'). Bird Lives!  
Russell                 

2 comments :

Lance said...

Russell - you omitted to mention the Jazz Coop's celebration at the Globe on Sept. 6! The Alan Law Trio with Jordan Alfonso on alto promises to be really special. Mark Toomey's gig, which has already been profiled by Mark himself also looks good - when it comes to paying tribute to Bird then you need an alto player who can handle it - these guys can.

I love Dean Stockdale's piano playing - he is one of the best - but I find that, on such an auspicious occasion, to pay only lip service to the man is disappointing to say the least. In normal times, on that weekend, alto sax players would be in greater demand than bagpipers on New Year's Eve. However, these aren't normal times so I'm sure there would have been some musicians available. How about a tribute to Oscar Peterson without a pianist?

Or did the church object to Parker's lifestyle?

Russell said...

Lance - I omitted, but didn't ignore or forget about Jordan's forthcoming gig. It is simply that the Jazz Co-op gig is a week or more after the Bird 'weekend'. Jordan's gig is one I'd love to be at!

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